What is a "viaticum’’?

Some of the characters in the play are concerned with the right of a person to be
allowed their viaticum. The term is generally used by the Catholic Church and is
also referred to as the Holy Communion a person receives just before they die. The
practice was so important for the family of the dying person and for the priest
that in some cases, when the dying person expired before a priest could arrive,
food was put into the dead person’s mouth. The reason why this was so important for
many people is because they linked their salvation to the act of receiving the last
rites. This gave them the assurance their soul will be accepted in heaven and thus
not forced to suffer for eternity. The state of a person’s soul is one of the major
themes in the play and thus it is no surprise that the characters express an
interest in the fate of their soul after death as well.

2
What are the "humors’’ mentioned in the play and why are they significant?

The humors are a theory from medieval and Renaissance thought. According to the
humors theory, in every human body can be found four liquid elements which have to
be in perfect balance with one another for a person to be healthy. Illnesses were
considered as being the result of an excess or lack of humors and the doctors of
the day tried to bring back the balance by using different methods such as blood-
letting or excessive sweating. The four humors were blood, yellow bile, black bile
and phlegm, and they was also linked with the personality traits a person had.
Certain afflictions were linked with the excess of humors and it was believed that
for example, someone who had an excess of black bile was depressed while someone
who had an excess of yellow bile was extremely aggressive. This theory is also
mentioned by many characters in the play as being the reason why many characters
behave in one way or another.

3
How do Edward and Wellbred perceive Brainworm and his disguises?

Brainworm's many disguises are not annoying or cumbersome to Edward and Wellbred;
rather, they are impressed with him. They see why he's doing what he's doing, that
it works in their self-interest, and that it indicates a wit and adaptability that
they also value. Matthew Kendrick suggests that Brainworm's behavior is
"increasingly depicted as a form of skilled labor rather than as idleness or
unwillingness to labor. In marked contrast to Knowell's moralistic condemnation,
Edward and Wellbred express genuine respect for Brainworm's protean deception."

4
What are the various follies Jonson lampoons?